In 1997, nu metal was beginning to rise in popularity. 1998 is generally recognized as the year nu metal broke into the mainstream. In the late 1990s, some bands were blending nu metal with other genres (e.g., industrial metal, like Static-X or Dope). In 2002, critics began claiming that nu metal's mainstream popularity was declining,[9][10] but some bands still had commercial success. By the mid 2000s, metalcore was the most popular genre within the New Wave of American Heavy Metal.[11] During this period, many nu metal bands experimented with other genres and sounds. In the 2010s, despite a lack of radio play and mainstream popularity, some nu metal bands still have critical and commercial success.

Nu metal music is largely syncopated and based on guitarriffs.[1] Mid-song bridges and a general lack of guitar solos contrasts it with other genres that are part of heavy metal,[1] in which guitar solos play a major role. Another contrast with other metal genres is its emphasis on rhythm, rather than complexity or mood, tending towards groove metal in rhythm.[5] Nu metal bassists and drummers often draw influence from funk and hip hop break beats, respectively, helping add to the rhythmic nature of the genre.[27][28] Similarities with many heavy metal subgenres include its use of common time, distorted guitars, power chords and note structures primarily revolving around Dorian, Aeolian or Phrygianmodes.[1]

Nu metal band Slipknot, who are known for their use of costumes and masks, performing in Buenos Aires in 2005

Nu metal is also sometimes noted for participation of women in the genre in contrast to some other metal genres,[30] including bands such as Coal Chamber,[31]Otep[32] and the all-female band Kittie.[33]

Nu metal vocal styles range between singing, rapping, screaming and death growling, sometimes using multiple of these styles within one song. The lyrics of many nu metal bands focus on pain and personal alienation, similar to that of grunge,[34] rather than the themes of other metal subgenres.[7][26] Nu metal uses the traditional pop structure of verses, choruses and bridges, contrasting it with other metal genres such as thrash and death metal.[35]

The origins of the term are often attributed to the work of producer Ross Robinson, sometimes called "The Godfather of Nu Metal".[13] Many of the first nu metal bands came from California,[41] like Korn, which pioneered the nu metal sound with the release of their demo album in 1993,[42] and the Deftones.[43] Other influential bands are Staind from Massachusetts, Limp Bizkit from Florida,[4] and Slipknot from Iowa.[44] The aggressive riffs of Korn, the rapping of Limp Bizkit, and the acoustic ballads of Staind created the sonic template for nu metal.[4]

In 1994, Korn's debut single "Blind"'s music video received airplay on MTV, exposing nu metal to a wider audience in a time when grunge dominated. Nu metal continued to achieve recognition through MTV and Ozzy Osbourne's 1995 introduction of Ozzfest, which led the media to talk of a resurgence of heavy metal.[45] Ozzfest was integral to launching the careers of several nu metal bands, including Limp Bizkit in 1998.[46] The band only had experienced underground fame, as their debut album peaked at number 72 on the Billboard 200.[47] Nu metal didn't have plenty of bands playing the genre until 1997 where multiple nu metal bands like Coal Chamber,[48] Limp Bizkit,[49] Papa Roach[50] and Sevendust[51] all released their debut albums.

Orgy also became extremely popular in 1999 and 2000 with albums like Candyass, which was certified platinum by the RIAA[73] and the band had Billboard Hot 100 singles such as Blue Monday and Opticon, which both peaked at number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100.[74]

In May 1999, nu metal musician Kid Rock had sales for his Devil Without a Cause album taking off with the third single "Bawitdaba" and by April 1999, where Devil Without a Cause had achieved a gold disc.[75] The following month, Devil Without a Cause, as he predicted, went platinum.[75]

In 1999, Slipknot, a nu metal band from Iowa, emerged with an extremely heavy sound, releasing their debut album, which has gone on to sell over 2 million copies in the United States alone,[76] with Rick Anderson of AllMusic writing "You thought Limp Bizkit was hard? They're the Osmonds. These guys are something else entirely."[77] Limp Bizkit's second album Significant Other, released in 1999, reached number 1 on the Billboard200, selling 643,874 copies in its first week of release.[78] In its second week, the album sold 335,000 copies.[78]

Limp Bizkit in 2009

In 1999, the nu metal band Staind's second album Dysfunction had popular singles such as Mudshovel, and has been certified 2 times platinum by the RIAA by selling 2 million copies in the United States alone.[79] In 2000, Limp Bizkit's follow-up album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, set a record for highest week-one sales of a rock album with over one million copies sold in the U.S. in its first week of release, with 400,000 of those sales coming on its first day, making it the fastest-selling rock album ever, breaking the world record held for seven years by Pearl Jam's Vs.[80] That same year, Papa Roach's major label debut Infest, and Disturbed's The Sickness became platinum hits.[81]

Late in 2000, Linkin Park released their debut album Hybrid Theory, which remains both the best-selling debut album by any artist in the 21st century, and the best-selling nu metal album of all time.[82] The album was also the best-selling album in all genres in 2001, offsetting sales by prominent pop acts like the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC,[83] earning the band a Grammy Award for their second single "Crawling",[84] with the fourth single, "In the End", released late in 2001, becoming one of the most recognized songs in the first decade of the 21st century.[85][86] During the same year, the prog-influenced band Mudvayne's debut L.D. 50 received critical acclaim .CMJ called the Mudvayne album "A vivid cross section of nu-metal styles." [87]

In 2002, critics began claiming that nu metal's mainstream popularity was declining,[9][10] citing the fact that Korn's long awaited fifth album Untouchables, and Papa Roach's third album Lovehatetragedy, did not sell as well as their previous releases, nu metal bands were played less frequently on radio stations and MTV began focusing on pop punk, metalcore and emo.[97]

By the mid 2000s, metalcore (a fusion of extreme metal and hardcore punk) had become the most popular genre within the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, in both the mainstream and within metal audiences.[11] After a period of massive success of Linkin Park and Evanescence, nu metal had declined in popularity. Regarding his band's decline in popularity, Fred Durst said "Here's the deal: say in 2000, there were 35 million people who connected to this band. Twelve years later, lots of those people have moved on. We were a moment in time and it's over."[108]

Despite the lack of radio play and popularity, some nu metal bands still gain critical and commercial success. Korn's 9th studio album Korn III: Remember Who You Are, sold 63,000 copies during its first week in the US, landing at number two on the Billboard 200.[116] As of December 6, 2011, the album has sold 185,000 units in the U.S.[117] and received positive reviews. In 2011, Limp Bizkit's long awaited sixth studio album Gold Cobra, sold 27,000 copies during its first week in the United States and peaking at number 16 on the Billboard 200 and the album has received mostly positive reviews.[118][119] Also in 2011, Staind's self-titled album was a return to their early days of nu metal. The album debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, with first sales week of 47,000 copies, making the fifth consecutive top-five album for Staind.[120]

Evanescence's self-titled album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and other U.S charts and sold over 127,000 copies in the first week.[121] On 2 December 2011, Korn released The Path of Totality selling 55,000 copies in its first week. Many cited this album as a new direction for nu metal, with the band taking influence from electronic music, most notably dubstep. Artists collaborating on the album included Skrillex, 12th Planet, Kill the Noise, Jon Gooch and Excision. The album received mostly positive reviews, winning a Revolver Golden God award for best album.[122] This has led to some talk within the media of a possible nu metal revival.[123][124]

Nu metal is often controversial amongst fans of some other metal genres, [12] Gregory Heaney of AllMusic has described the genre as "one of metal's more unfortunate pushes into the mainstream."[139]Jonathan Davis, the frontman of the pioneering nu metal band Korn, was in an interview and said

“

There's a lot of closed-minded metal purists that would hate something because it's not true to metal or whatever, but Korn has never been a metal band, dude. We're not a metal band. We've always been looked at as what they called the nu-metal thing. But we've always been the black sheep and we never fitted into that kind of thing so ... We're always ever evolving, and we always piss fans off and we're gaining other fans and it is how it is.[140]

”

Some bands considered influential to nu metal have tried to distance themselves from the genre. Regarding his band's influence on nu metal, Faith No More and Mr. Bungle singer Mike Patton said "I feel no responsibility for that, it's their mothers' fault, not mine."[141] While Helmet frontman Page Hamilton has stated "It's frustrating that people write [us] off because we're affiliated with or credited with or discredited with creating nu-metal and rap metal or whatever the fuck it is, which we sound nothing like."[142] In response to reports that Fred Durst, lead singer of nu metal band Limp Bizkit is a big fan of his band, Tool's lead singer Maynard James Keenan said "If the lunch-lady in high school hits on you, you appreciate the compliment, but you’re not really gonna start dating the lunch-lady, are ya?"[143] Although Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails defended some of the members of Korn during a MTV interview, he has also criticized the genre, saying in an interview with Kerrang!

“

When I'm asked what do I think of a lot of the nu-metal bands that are out there, my response is that it seems really insincere to me. I've had a really shitty childhood and I'm really upset and I'm really ugly and I've put a lot of make-up on and I'm harder and faster and my voice sounds more like the cookie monster's than yours does. To me it all comes across as being comical, as being a parody of itself.[144]

”

As the band had abandoned the nu metal sound often featured on their early work, Deftones' frontman Chino Moreno began to criticize the genre, especially Korn's 2002 release Untouchables saying "As Korn go on, it's the same things—bad childhoods and mean moms. It gets too old after a while. How old is Jonathan? Thirty? How long has it been since he lived with his parents?"[145]Korn's frontman Jonathan Davis responded to it in an interview saying

"Obviously, Chino hasn't listened to the words on the rest of my albums because they're nothing about my parents or my childhood. He's bitter and pissed off. I haven't talked to him because that's some straight fucked up shit that he said. When we first came out it was cool and we were homies. Then as we came up they became bitter because we were getting more attention or some shit. It's retarded how it got like that.[145]

^ abcdefgh"Genre: Alternative Metal". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 May 2010. By the latter half of the '90s, most new alt-metal bands were playing some combination of simplified thrash, rap, industrial, hardcore punk, and grunge. This new sound was more about grinding textures... Korn, Linkin Park, Deftones, and Limp Bizkit were the biggest stars of this new movement -- sometimes dubbed aggro-metal, nu-metal...

^Buts, Jeroen. "5.1". The Thematical and Stylistic Evolution of Heavy Metal Lyrics and Imagery From the 70s to Present Day. p. 80. "Also, the genre combined a low tuned guitar sound and many other thrash, industrial and death metal traits within a structure which was much more traditional and akin to Pop music (e.g. intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro)."